The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Special Assistant
Pronunciation: JAY
7th season at Texas, 4th as assistant coach
A former player at The University of Texas who earned McDonald’s All-American honors in high school, Jai Lucas begins his seventh season on the coaching staff at The University of Texas and his fourth year as an assistant coach.
The 30-year-old Lucas served as director of basketball operations under Coach Smart in 2015-16. He was then promoted to his current post as an assistant coach in June 2016.
During the 2015-16 season, the Longhorns posted a 20-13 overall record (11-7, tie for fourth in Big 12 Conference). UT advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed before falling to Northern Iowa (75-72) on a half-court shot at the buzzer. Texas set a school single-season record with four regular-season wins against AP Top 10 opponents (No. 3 North Carolina, at No. 6 West Virginia, No. 10 West Virginia and No. 3 Oklahoma).
UT went 4-1 at home against AP Top 20 opponents in 2015-16, and the Longhorns were 6-4 overall against AP Top 20 teams. Senior center Prince Ibeh claimed Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Isaiah Taylor was named All-Big 12 First Team. Eric Davis Jr. and Kerwin Roach II each claimed a spot on the six-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. All five scholarship seniors on the roster participated in Spring 2016 Commencement exercises.
The 2016-17 season was highlighted by the staff’s development of freshman Jarrett Allen, who was selected as the No. 22 pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA Draft. Allen earned All-Big 12 Conference Third Team and Big 12 All-Newcomer Team accolades. He also claimed a spot on the 10-person USBWA All-District VII Team and the five-person NABC All-District 8 Second Team.
Allen led the team in rebounding (8.4 rpg), blocks (51) and minutes (32.1 mpg) and ranked second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg). He recorded 12 double-doubles on the season, tied for the third-highest total by a UT freshman in school history. Allen also ranked fourth on the UT freshman chart in total rebounds (278) and fourth in rebounding average (8.4 rpg). He made dramatic improvement during the second half of the year, averaging a team-best 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in Big 12 Conference play while registering eight double-doubles.
During Lucas’ first full recruiting cycle as an assistant coach (2017), the UT staff signed a five-man freshman class that ranked as the No. 5 recruiting class in the country by Rivals. All five freshmen signees were ranked among the Top 80 players nationally by one of the three major recruiting services (Mohamed Bamba, No. 2 Rivals; Matt Coleman III, No. 29 ESPN; Jase Febres, No. 47 Scout; Jericho Sims, No. 51 Scout; Royce Hamm Jr., No. 80 ESPN).
The class was highlighted by Bamba and Coleman, who both competed in the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic. Bamba became the fourth signee in UT history to rank as one of the nation’s top two recruits, joining Avery Bradley (No. 1 by ESPN in 2009), Kevin Durant (No. 2 by Rivals in 2006) and Myles Turner (No. 2 by ESPN in 2014). Bamba also became the 19th player in program history to compete in the McDonald’s All-American Game and played in the Nike Hoop Summit.
In the 2017-18 season, the Longhorns registered a 19-15 overall record. Despite battling several key injuries and illnesses and playing a seven-man rotation that featured four freshmen during the majority of February and March, UT advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed.
Texas posted five wins against AP Top 25 opponents and recorded four consecutive home victories against AP Top 20 opponents to end the regular season (No. 16 TCU, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 12 Oklahoma and No. 20 West Virginia). Of UT’s 34 games on the year, a total of 20 came against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Freshman forward Mohamed Bamba earned honorable mention All-America honors by The Associated Press and claimed a spot on the John R. Wooden Award National Ballot. One of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, he was named to the five-person NABC All-District 8 First Team and the 12-person USBWA All-District VII Team.
A total of four Longhorns earned spots on the 2017-18 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Award teams. Bamba claimed a place on the All-Big 12 Second Team, the five-person Big 12 All-Defensive Team and the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. Freshman point guard Matt Coleman III, junior forward Dylan Osetkowski and junior guard Kerwin Roach II each earned recognition on the eight-person All-Big 12 Honorable Mention team.
Bamba led the Big 12 Conference in double-doubles (15), rebounding (10.5 rpg) and blocked shots (111, 3.70 bpg). He ranked second nationally in blocks per game and 12th in rebounds per game. Bamba set the UT overall season record for blocks (111, previous was 92 by Chris Owens in 2000-01).
Bamba became the eighth lottery pick in the NBA Draft in UT program history, as he was selected No. 6 overall by the Orlando Magic. He was UT’s highest draft selection since Tristan Thompson went at No. 4 in 2011 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bamba also was UT’s first lottery pick since Myles Turner in 2015 (No. 11 pick by the Indiana Pacers).
In the 2018 recruiting cycle, UT’s five-man freshman class ranked as the No. 8 recruiting class in the country by ESPN and 247Sports. Four signees were ranked among the Top 90 players nationally by one of the major recruiting services (Courtney Ramey, No. 34 247Sports; Gerald Liddell, No. 41 247Sports; Kamaka Hepa, No. 47 Rivals; Jaxson Hayes, No. 89 ESPN).
During the 2018-19 season, Texas posted a 21-16 mark and won the NIT Championship. Despite playing without Jaxson Hayes in their NIT run (left knee injury), the Longhorns ran off three consecutive home wins to open the tourney against South Dakota State, Xavier and Colorado before heading to Madison Square Garden and defeating TCU and Lipscomb in the semifinals and championship game, respectively.
A trio of UT players claimed mention on the 2018-19 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Award teams. Hayes was named the league’s Freshman of the Year, becoming the sixth UT player to earn the accolade and first since Myles Turner in 2014-15. Hayes also garnered spots on the All-Big 12 Second Team, the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team and the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. In addition, Matt Coleman III and Kerwin Roach II earned places on the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention team.
Hayes was selected as the No. 8 pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Draft prior to his draft rights being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. He became the ninth lottery pick in the NBA Draft in UT program history.
His selection marked the first time Texas had a Top-10 pick in back-to-back drafts since the Longhorns boasted three-straight years with a Top-10 selection from 2006-08 (LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin). UT is one of just three schools (joined by Duke and Kentucky) to have a lottery pick in each of the last two seasons.
It marked the third-straight year and fourth time in the last five seasons that a Longhorn had been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. Texas is one of just four schools (joined by Duke, Kentucky and Michigan) to have a NBA first-round pick in each of the last three years.
During the most recent 2019 recruiting cycle, UT’s three-man freshman class ranked as the No. 17 recruiting class in the nation by 247Sports Composite. All three signees were ranked among the Top 75 players nationally by one of the major recruiting services (Will Baker, No. 28 Rivals; Kai Jones, No. 49 247Sports; Donovan Williams, No. 61 Rivals).
Lucas spent two seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15) as a special assistant at Texas under Coach Rick Barnes. In that role, he assisted in all internal operations of the basketball program.
Prior to entering the coaching profession, Lucas played three seasons professionally. He spent two years in the National Basketball Association Development League (NBA D-League), where he saw action with the Idaho Stampede (2012-13) and the Canton Charge (2013), and one year overseas in Latvia with BK Valmiera in the Baltic Basketball League (2011-12).
A guard who played in 58 career games (one start) during his two seasons at UT (2009-10 and 2010-11), Lucas scored a total of 169 points and recorded a 70-to-40 assist-to-turnover ratio in 662 minutes played while helping the Longhorns to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. He earned his bachelor’s degree in corporate communication in 2011.
Lucas spent his freshman season (2007-08) and the Fall 2008 semester at The University of Florida and earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. Smart was an assistant coach at Florida during the 2008-09 season. Lucas started all 36 games as a freshman, helping Florida post a 24-12 record and advance to the Postseason NIT semifinals. He transferred from Florida and enrolled at Texas beginning in the Spring 2009 semester.
A 2007 graduate of Bellaire High School in Houston, Lucas was a McDonald’s All-American, a Jordan Brand All-American and a Parade All-America Second Team selection as a senior. He was a three-year starter and three-time District 21-5A Player of the Year who led Bellaire to three consecutive district titles.
Born Dec. 5, 1988, Lucas is a native of Houston, Texas. He and his wife, Kori, have one son, Jaxin.
